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114 INSITE SUMMER 2010
Josh Topelberg was a young student with a beach habit when he
joined the family business a decade ago. He didn’t want the keys; he
was just filling a gap. “It was never a path of destiny,” says the now
33-year-old with degrees in commerce and arts. Likewise for older
brother Avi, a law and commerce graduate who spent the noughties
climbing a corporate ladder in Sydney.
However, design was clearly in the gene pool. Avi now runs the
Sydney office for Decor Design Centre, Josh drives the home base in
Perth. Father Alex is still involved in the business he bought 45 years
ago after the sudden death of his employer (he moved the premises
to a family property in William Street in 1971). Mother Ruth heads up
the textiles division. “It can present as a suffocating environment,
but it works well for us,” says Josh of the work/family dynamic.
“We’re good at separating business and personal.”
Josh says the recent generational change has become a real flavour
of the business, a wholesaler of leather and textiles to the furniture and
design industry. A few modern touches – progress towards a paperless
office, new interactive functions on the website – reflect the youthful
influence. But it’s really the fresh take on old-fashioned values –
quality and service – that keep the business in award-winning shape.
TEXTILES | JOSH TOPELBERG | DECOR DESIGN CENTRE
TOP Josh Topelberg reclines on a Time Out
chair upholstered in Picot leather in Silverstone,
POA. The patchwork cowhide rug is from the
Capelli Collection. INSET Printed cowhide f rom
Capelli makes a striking upholstery fabric.